Up first is the Cuisinart CBM-18 conical burr grinder. This programmable model is not mentioned much if hardly at all on this forum. but for $80 on Amazon, it ranks as a decent value. It grinds well enough for Aeropress and drip. For French press the $100 (discontinued?) Maestro is superior but not worlds of difference better. The competition for this grinder is the new Bodum conical burr and the Black Capresso Infinity conical burr grinder. I have not used those two so I cannot comment. After using this grinder for the past month, I would not hesitate recommending this unit to someone looking for a conical burr grinder priced in the under one hundred dollar category.

Below are some shots of the Cuisinart (top), Capresso (middle), and Bodum (bottom). The Bodum burr photo's come from rwgamer's post here: http://coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/513743 - there is a review of the Bodum there as well. Capresso photo's are from Amazon.

(Click for larger image)

I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?

My local roaster sells the Capresso Infinity out of their shop exclusively, and the owner who has been in the coffee biz for 18 years reccomends it to anyone looking for a grinder for home use only. They use it for their 3000$ Rancilio Espresso Maker, and it pulls great shots.

She said the 500$+ Grinders are superior, but not necessary for good coffee and espresso.I would stick with Baratza, Personally. Although I have a Rocky...

I see a lot of similar answers to the question: "I have $200, what espresso machine should I get?" Eventually the answer comes down to:"none - save your money - get a grinder and a French press, pour over or Aeropress for now."

This answer works for me and is good advice.

What if the total budget really is small?

$10 - $30 buys the press, Aeropress, or pourover, $20 - $30 buys the scale, $30 - $50 buys the electric (or not) kettle, and $10 - $15 buys the fresh beans. assuming they already have a cup and a spoon, the remaining budget is $75 - $130. The Maestro used to be a safe bet at this price point, but I can't find it available for sale right now. The next step up starts at $150 and then moves to $200. For someone starting out, that spread might be more than they can or want to pay. These burr shots give at least a view of the business end of the product available at this price point, and my review of one of these hopefully will start the ball rolling for others with experience to add their opinion to help those on a budget.

FYI - Call your local Williams Sonoma if you are reading this with the intent of buying a sub $100 grinder soon - my area store still had two Virtuoso's left for $79 this afternoon.

I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?

Although this image is already posted in an espresso grinder thread of mine, I thought it would fit in here too. These all should do a great job grinding for, Aeropress, pour over and auto drip, French press, percolator and probably pressurized portafilter espresso machines. I tried to line up the ones I think look the most similar above and below each other. Some are close, others look exactly the same. The Baratza Virtuoso and the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso are not sub $100 grinders (the Virtuoso was, for a very limited time) but are considered very nice grinders for non-espresso (and nice for espresso) grinding.

Any of the grinders mentioned in this thread will do. I personally have a Infinity and am quite happy with it. However, if I was going to buy in this range again I would go to Baratza website and pick up a refurb Virturouso.

As far as how do you know how much to grind, basically what you did with your blade grinder; measure the beans out then grind. Or if you want load up the hopper and then just shut off the grinder when you roughly get to your target.

when it comes to simplified coffee making (ie. pourover or immersion) the lower lines from Baratza are often recommended or mentioned (my perception from being on this site for about a month now). While the Maestro alone is a bit more then $115, a refurbished unit costs is only $70.

I heard the Maestro is gone and the Maestro Plus is being redesigned - both are currently out of stock as new or refurbished units - the Starbucks Barista (this one is available) for $80 is a hybrid between the two - the on/off dial is like the Maestro (no timer) while the weight is like the Maestro Plus and Virtuoso models - it looks like a nice grinder for the price..

I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?

This Programmable model is not mentioned much if hardly at all on this forum. for $80 on Amazon, it ranks as a decent value - and grinds well enough for Aeropress and drip. For French press the $100 (discontinued?) Maestro is superior but not worlds of difference better. The competition for this grinder is the new Bodum conical burr and the Black Capresso Infinity conical burr grinder. I have not used those two so I cannot comment. After using this grinder for the past month, I would not hesitate recommending this unit to someone looking for a conical burr grinder priced in the under one hundred dollar category.

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